RELATIONSHIP BETWEEN COMPUTER-MEDIATED COMMUNICATION USAGE AND INTIMACY LEVELS AMONG UNIVERSITY STUDENTS IN MOMBASA COUNTY, KENYA

Abstract

There is a rapid increase in internet usage among young adults in the world and Kenya is no exception. This is because young adults are in the age group characterized by the attraction and creation of diverse relationships, which also play a role in maintaining those relationships. In addition, recent studies have shown how most university students are in romantic relationships believing that they are not far from marriage life and are the main crowd that uses the CMCs and as result, mental health issues among students have been reported. Hence, this study sought to establish the relationship between Computer-Mediated Communication (CMC) usage and intimacy levels among university students in Mombasa County. The study was supported by Erik Erikson’s Psychosocial Theory and Social Exchange Theory developed by George Homans and both theories hold the view that human relationships are defined by the change of behavior. A correlational research design was used in the study. The target population was 9,883 undergraduate students from one public university and one satellite university campus in Mombasa. A sample size of 370 participants was selected using Quota sampling. A pilot study was done on 29 final-year students from Kenyatta University, Mombasa campus. A structured questionnaire was used to collect data. A test-retest method was used to measure the reliability of the instruments, and a computation using SPSS-version 24 for both CMC usage scale and intimacy scale was done to establish Cronbach’s reliability coefficient, which was 0.75.  Couples Satisfaction Index (CSI), a 32-item scale was designed to assess current intimacy among dating students. Results revealed 49% had stayed in a romantic relationship between 6 to 11 months while only 5% for 3 years and above. Findings also established 52% lived together with their partners while 48% were not; 28% had lived together for 1 and 1.5 years, 19% for 7 to 11 months, the minority 1% had lived together for 2 to 2.5 years while the majority 45% for over 3 years. Analysis from the Pearson correlation test revealed there was a positive correlation between CMC usage and intimacy levels among dating undergraduate students, r (350) = 0.554, P=0.004<0.05, and the mean value was 4.3120 (SD = .37975). The study concludes that there exists a positive relationship between CMC usage and intimacy levels among dating undergraduate students. Based on the results, the study recommended that since there is a strong correlation between CMC usage and intimacy levels among university students, there is a need for the establishment of new policies in universities to regulate CMC usage among the students. Secondly, the study recommends a need for massive provision of counselling services due to the increasing cases of mental health issues, as established in this research, to promote healthy romantic relationships among university students.